Parade, Career Fair for Iraq Veterans this Saturday

Parade planners tell KUT News they hope to offer veterans more than a symbolic thanks.

Simrat Sharma/KUT News

A parade to honor Iraq War Veterans is scheduled to take place this Saturday, July 7. The event was inspired by a parade in St. Louis, Missouri.

“We figured that if St. Louis could do it, we could do it,” said Conor Kenny, the event’s head organizer. “This plan was hatched over beers one night, and that’s when we decided to do this whole thing.”

The team of Austinites that organized the event is expecting a wide range of people to participate in the parade, reflecting the diversity and “weirdness” of Austin.

But Kenny and other event organizers want to make sure the parade is not just a symbolic gesture, and that the vets glean something practical from the event as well.

“The Welcome Home Iraq Parade in Austin is unlike most of the ones in other cities, in that we are doing a job and resource fair for veterans,” Kenny said.

Over 100 employers will be on hand, ranging from non-profits to government organizations to local businesses.

“This is a way for our community to let these guys know that we are here for them, that we support them, and that we are grateful for their service,” said Kenny. “A lot of these guys are hurting in ways beyond just physical, and it’s very important, and we know this after talking to many of the veterans … that we are here for them.”

The parade starts on Saturday at 9 a.m. concluding with a ceremony at 11 a.m. on the Texas Capitol steps. The Job and Resource Fair starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Capitol Extension.

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Austin will commemorate the end of the Iraq War with a parade down Congress Avenue on July 7. After the parade, there will be a job and resource fair for veterans inside the Capitol Building. One veteran with multiple tours in Iraq says thats important. Im really happy that were having this job and resource fair because it can really provide a lot to service members. When you get out, a good support group is probably one of the best things you have, because when youre in the army, youre a team, and when you get out, youre an individual again, said U.S. Army veteran Marco Orrantia.

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